Smile for Me
by LavLongLoveFin
Summary: It's Kahoko's birthday, but how can she be happy if the love of her life is leaving her?
1. The Cerulean Music Box

_Len and Kaho were holding hands in the park where Kahoko went to practice occasionally. As he was about to lean in and kiss her he murmured "Happy Birthday, Kahoko." _

"_Len…" she replied, leaning in to receive the kiss._

"Len…" mumbled a sleeping Kahoko.

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* "Aaaah!" Kahoko yelled, flailing out of bed and trying desperately to stay on. _What kind of dream was that?! I mean, I called him Len! Not Tsukimori-Kun, or even, Len-Kun! Just Len! _"….Oh, right! Today's my birthday! How could I forget that?" sighed Kahoko, forgetting all about the dream.

"Ohayo, Oka-san!" Kaho greeted entering the kitchen where her mother was making breakfast.

"Ohayo Kaho! Happy Birthday, honey!" Her mother replied while placing a plate of Omuraisu in front of Kaho as she sat at the table.

"Aw! Mom, you made my favorite! Thanks!" Kaho said, genuinely surprised and delighted as she began eating. Her mother just smiled. "Oh, eat fast, or you'll be late!" she added tapping Kaho on the shoulder.

" No… Worries…!" Kaho mumbled between bites. She was already three fourths of the way done, and was eating like there was no tomorrow. She pushed her chair back and hastily dumped her dish in the sink. "Bye Mom!" Kahoko yelled back before she grabbed her school bag and ran out the door and fumbled with the front gate's lock. "See you after school!" She yelled back as she locked the gate behind her and ran down the street towards Seiso Acadamey.

"Hey, Kaho-chan!" Nao yelled to Kaho from across the street.

"Oi, Nao, calm down!" Mio gasped, running to catch up to Nao.

"Ha ha! Sorry Mio-chan." Nao laughed, and the two finally caught up to Kahoko.

"Ohayo, Mio, Nao!" Kaho exclaimed as she saw her two friends slow from a sprint to a jog, and finally a walk as they came up along side of her.

"Happy birthday Kaho-chan!" Nao exclaimed happily, and began to jump up and down as soon as she recovered from running, holding a little wrapped box in her hands.

"Nao! You're going to break it." Mio scolded, swiping the box from Nao and handing it to Kahoko, "Happy birthday Kaho." She added, smiling warmly.

"Thanks Mio, Nao!" Kaho gasped, surprised they had remembered her birthday, since she hadn't mentioned it recently. _I wonder what it is… _ She giggled as she unwrapped it.

"Arigatou, Mio, Nao!" Kaho repeated as she hugged both of them. Under the wrapping paper was a little cerulean heart shaped music box.

"Play it Kaho-chan." Nao encouraged.

"We think you'll like it." Mio added. Kaho quickly turned the peg so that the music would play. Out came a beautiful rendition of Ave Maria, delicately floating through the air.

"Kaho-chan?! What's wrong? You're crying!" Nao exclaimed while a worried Mio looked on.

_I'm crying?_ Kaho thought while putting a hand to her face. _Why, yes I am… _"Dajoobu. Its… It's just allergies." She smiled weakly at the pair of worried friends.

"Are you sure Kaho?" Mio asked, not believing her friend.

"Hai! I'm fine." Kahoko replied while wiping away the tears. "It just… reminded me of someone." She added to her prior statement.

Mio and Nao looked at each other. They knew the real reason… Fuyuumi-chan had told them about the Ave Maria duet between Kaho-senpai and Tsukimori-senpai that had so much feeling. And, that most likely reminded Kaho that Tsukimori-kun was leaving to study abroad. Soon. Very soon.

"What are you two thinking about over there?" Kaho teased as she noticed the pair spacing out.

"Ano… Nothng!" They answered simultaneously. Kaho sighed and looked up.

"Ah! Hihara-Senpai?!" Kahoko exclaimed as the threesome saw Kazuki jog towards them with one hand behind his back, the other waving ecstatically.

"Kaho-chan!!" Kazuki yelled to Kahoko.

"Hihara-senpai, did you need something?" Kaho inquired, trying to look around him and peek at what he was holding behind his back, but to no avail.

"Happy birthday, Kaho-chan!" Kazuki said as he handed her a bouquet of flowers that he handpicked.

Kahoko gasped. "They're beautiful, Hihara-senpai! Arigatou." Kahoko thanked him, with a slight blush beginning to tinge her cheeks and a smile dancing upon her lips. Nao and Mio just giggled.

"Of course, Kaho-chan." Kazuki replied happily, glad he was able to make Kaho blush and smile like that.

_What's that sound?_ Kaho wondered as she heard a violin pierce the air. _Ah, It's Tsukimori-kun… He's playing Canon. _She closed her eyes and swayed to the music slowly, letting it dance in and out of her ears and flow like water around her.

"Kaho-chan?!" Kazuki brought Kahoko back to reality as he shook her shoulders.

"Hm?" Kaho replied dreamily.

"You're spacing out… and, now you're crying!" Kazuki exclaimed.

"Oh, did you hear it? Tsukimori-Kun…" Kaho replied, and violent sobs began to shake her.

Kazuki wore a hurt expression and backed away slowly. "I'll see you later Kaho-chan. Happy birthday." He started out walking, but she saw him break out into a run, wanting so badly to get away from her.


	2. Daffodils

[Kazuki's POV]

_Aah, Is that Kaho-chan?_ He pondered as he saw 3 of his underclassman standing by the front gates of Seiso Academy. "Looks like they're giving Kaho-chan something." He mumbled to himself as he tried to remember what today was. "Ano…" He sighed flipping through the pages of his pocket calendar he had just pulled out. In big red letters were the words: Kaho's Birthday!

_That's right! _"I thought I was missing something!" He remarked while starting to walk towards Kaho. _Speaking of missing… I don't have a gift yet! _"Ano… What would Kaho-chan like?" He wondered as he stared up at the clouds. "I know! She's always looking at the garden clubs flowers!" He added, answering his own question. "To the Garden Club!!" He yelled so that everybody within a 10 meter radius turned to stare. But… He was already gone. His excitement to see Kaho-chan smile, just for him, gave him the energy to run like the wind.

"Hey, whatch it, senpai!" an underclassman yelled at him, even though Kazuki was already turning the corner. Disappearing around the bend, he yelled, "Ah, Sorry Tsukimori-kun!"

Jeez_, who knew the garden was all the way at the other end of school?? _He mentally asked himself as he recovered from the long run.

"Ano…. Hihara-senpai? Did you need something from here?" A garden club member asked.

"Yep! I need to pick some flowers." He said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. The Kouhai just stared, surprised at the request. "Hellooo??" Kazuki asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Oh, of c-course. Choose any flower at all Hihara-senpai." She decided reluctantly.

"Ah, arigatou!" He thanked her and headed over to the garden. _What's her favorite flower…?_ He pondered this as he looked at all of the flowers in the garden. "Hmm… a rose to express my love would be good. And, a daffodil because it reminds me of how happy she always is. Oh! And how about some daisies as the finishing touch?

"Thanks for the flowers!" He repeated as soon as he had picked and wrapped the flowers, and ran off to find Kahoko.

_These will be perfect! I can't wait to see her face. _He thought as he smiled happily to himself. As he ran back to Kaho, being careful not to drop any flowers on the way, he thought he heard Canon dancing through the air_. Hm? Someone must be playing on the roof._ He dismissed the thought though when he finally saw Kahoko across the courtyard.

"Kaho-chan!" He yelled to her, and saw her look up from what she was holding.

"Hihara-senpai, do you need anything?" Kaho-chan asked, and tried to see what was behind his back.

"Happy birthday Kaho-chan!" He congratulated, finally handing her the bouquet of flowers.

He had been looking at the ground, embarrassed, but as he heard a gasp, he looked up.

"They're beautiful, Hihara-senpai! Arigatou." She thanked him.

"Of course, Kaho-chan!" Kazuki smiled as he noticed her blushing and a smile playing on her lips. Suddenly, he had a strong urge to pull her into a big hug. _What am I thinking? It's good enough that I'm able to make her smile. At least I still have a chance. _He thought, fighting the urge to hug Kahoko.

Suddenly, he heard a little tune being hummed to the Canon he had heard earlier, although the humming was being broken up by little sniffs occasionally.

"Kaho-chan?!" He said worriedly, shaking her shoulders.

"Hm?" Kaho replied as she was brought back to reality.

"You're spacing out… and now you're crying!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, did you hear it? Tsukimori-kun…" she managed to get out before she broke down if front of Kazuki.

_I can't win against that guy, can I? _He thought while slowly backing away from Kaho. "I'll see you later Kaho-chan. Happy birthday." He choked, barely a whisper, before he walked, then ran away from the sobbing Kahoko.

_Wow, Kaho-chan was really affected by Tsukimori-kun's playing… _He pondered this, while he sat in his favorite place, under the Bell Monument. _ Either way, I'll make him pay for making Kaho-chan cry like that._

**Hey, everyone! Um, my first authors note…. I hope you guys think I was able to keep Kazuki and everybody in character…! Oh, if anybody needs a great beta-er, Kazukiluvr does a amazing job(Plus, she's an amazing friend). Thanks again Kazu-chan!**


	3. Canon

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own La Corda d'Oro, or anything related to it. I only own this story.**

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**Lens POV**

"There we go..." He sighed as he put his violin away in its case, finishing up his morning session of practice.

"Len dear, breakfast is ready." Hamai Misa, informed him.

"I'll be there in a minute Mother." He replied, nodding to his mother signaling that she could leave. As she left, he swore he heard her say, "Sometimes I worry about the boy".

_I'm perfectly fine. I don't need anything…_ He mentally assured himself, even though he knew it wasn't quite true. There's one thing he didn't have, quite yet. Hino Kahoko. And, if he wanted to make her his… He had to act soon.

_It's not like_...

_**Stop lying to yourself Tsukimori Len. You know you love her. Her beautiful, flowing, hair, her alluring smile, and her eyes—**_

_Shut up! Who the heck are you anyway?! _

_**You're conscious?**_

_Was that a question…?_

_**No?**_

He frowned as he had a mental battle while trudging down the stairs from the practice room, conveniently located next to his room.

"Ohayo Len." He heard his Mother greet him when he walked in, although the greeting was quickly followed up by a not-so-well concealed yawn.

"How was the party last night?" He inquired as he sat down at the table, trying to start a light conversation.

"Long. But, it was a nice way to promote their new business." She replied with a slight laugh as she set down Lens breakfast in front of him.

"Arigatou. As soon as I'm done with this I'm heading to school." He mentioned, unconsciously signaling the end of the conversation. She just sighed and nodded.

"Remember, today's you're last day here. So, if you need to say good bye to anybody..." She added, hoping her son would get the hint.

"I know Mother. I'm finished." He said, quickly getting up and dumping his plate in the sink before heading out the door.

"Watch it, Senpai!" He yelled down the hall at the disappearing Hihara-senpai as he turned the corner, who had almost ran right into him_._

"Ah, sorry, Tsukimori-kun!" He heard Kazuki yell back.

_Jeez, I swear, Sometimes I think he acts like a first year. _He sighed again, shaking his head.

_I still have 30 or so minutes until classes start. _He estimated as he looked at his wrist watch.

_I think I'll go to the roof and fit in a few more minutes of practice._ He decided as he set off to the roof witch was just up the flight of stairs ahead of him.

"It seems I only have enough time to fit in a simple Canon…" He muttered to himself, as he positioned his violin on his shoulder.

He held back, as if teasing the listener. He knew, eventually… He wouldn't hold back. Just like in the Ave Maria duet with Hino. He had poured his whole being out into that song. But, he felt like the only one he wanted to be able to hear that, was Hino.

_Maybe… Just maybe, I like Hino. _

_**Maybe?! You're head over heels and you say Maybe?! Tsukimori, you are dense.**_

_..._

_***sigh* Fine. Well, today's most likely you're last chance to confess to her.**_

_Ok._

_**Ok?**_

_I'll confess to her after school. The flight doesn't leave until tomorrow anyway._

_**Finally. Some people just need a push. And, some people just need a big push. You Tsukimori, needed a big push.**_

_Ha ha. Thanks _

_**You're welcome.**_

…_*sigh*_

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**A/N:** Sorry, for the really short chapter and late update! The next ones longer… I promise(not the wait! The chapter.)!

Please stay tuned for more~! If any of the character seem to OOC, Please tell me! I'm trying to keep them in character… But I'm not sure how well I'm doing! XDD

This chapter was also… Un-beta-ed. Please forgive me Kazu-chan! *bows*


	4. Violin

_ "I'll make him pay." Kazuki sighed__, leaning against the __Bell_ _Monument__._

_Meanwhile…_

"I suppose it's time to head back." Len commented as he glanced at his watch. It flashed 8:54. Sighing, he quickly walked down the stairs and headed to his classroom.

"Mio? Nao?" Kahoko whimpered as she glanced around, looking for her friends who had left some time ago. Drying her eyes, she swiftly walked to class, trying her best not to be late. Again.

** [Kaho's POV]**

_Mmmm… I wonder what's in my bento today…?_ She absentmindedly wondered, and began to daydream in class. She sighed, and ignored the worried glances Mio and Nao kept giving her. _I really should apologize to Hihara-senpai as soon as I can__… _

--

"Honestly, Kaho-chan!!" Mio exclaimed, waving a hand in front of her face.

"How much longer are you gonna sit there…?" Nao sighed. "It's lunch time." She added.

Hearing that, Kahoko jumped up. "Eh?! Already??" She yelled, a bit too loud, and snapped back to reality. Thankfully nobody else was in the classroom.

"Yeah, Kaho-chan! You're going to miss lunch if you just sit there!" Mio whined, tugging on the sleeve of her uniform.

"Ok, ok. I'll be there in a second. You guys go on without me." She encouraged, pushing them out the door of the classroom. "I have something to do first." She waved at them as she headed in the opposite direction.

"Make it fast!" She heard Mio yell from behind her as she rounded the corner, heading for the Music Department.

As she passed through the halls she heard quite a few tunes floating from various rooms._ I'll put my violin in the practice room Tsukimori-kun reserved for our after school sessions…_ _Room 71…_ "Here we are!" She said to nobody in particular as she entered the room. "I'll just set this here…Now, I won't be late!" She added as she set her violin case on the side table.

_I wonder where Hihara-senpai is? _She asked herself as she left the room. Suddenly, she heard the sharp, clear melody of a familiar tune._ Wait… Was that Gavotte?_ She added, backtracking to the staircase she had passed where she had heard the music.

**[Kazuki's POV]**

_I really should be finding Tsukimori-kun right now…_Kazuki sighed as he carefully placed his silver trumpet back in its case.

"Hihara-senpai?" He heard a familiar voice ask from behind. Turning around, he saw a little red head. Kaho-chan. "Ano…I'm sorry for earlier this morning!" She quickly continued, apologizing before he could say anything. "I...I was so frazzled...Maybe because Tsukimori-kun will be leaving soon. But I didn't mean to offend you. Both of you are great friends of mine." She said, bowing. "Please accept my apology."

"N-no! It's ok, Kaho-chan!" He replied, waving his hands frantically, clearly surprised by her apology. He didn't know what else to say--he hadn't expected her to apologize, but at the same time, he was a little upset by what she had said. _Just friends? But...Tsukimori-kun is more to her than that...So I'm just the second-pick?_

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll be going now. I told Mio and Nao I'd eat with them today." She explained rather hastily, fidgety from the tension she felt in the air. Quickly, she turned and began to leave, seemingly eager to escape.

Kazuki hesitated before calling out to her. "Oh, ok. I'll see you later Kaho-chan!" He smiled at her--a pained smile--as she walked through the door and down the stairs. He turned back to face the window. _She left...just like that. How can I know she meant what she said?_ _No, I'll just have to belive in Kaho-chan._ He decided with firm resolution, staring out at the school campus. _I love her...I'm not going to let Tsukimori-kun win. More importantly, I won't lose._He sighed. _Now, I have to find Tsukimori-kun…_ He thought grimly as he walked down the stairs, on the lookout for the cerulean-haired violinist.

Careful to take his time as he walked, he counted the room numbers._ 67… 68…69…70…71. Here we are!_ He thought, grabbing the doorknob of practice room 71. _Please don't be in there… Please don't be in there… Please don't be in there… _He continuosly chanted in his head, slowly opening up the door.

_…He's not here…_ He blinked in surprise. It was quite amazing that Tsukimori Len was not practicing in his practicing room. Instead, set on the side table, was a violin case. "Ah! That must be Tsukimori-kun's violin!" He exclaimed, delighted by this small streak of good luck. He quickly walked over, opened it up, and took out the violin inside. He couldn't quite place an explanation as to why the well-known violinist would leave his most prized possession in the practicing room unguarded, but he decided to let it go.

_Hmmm… This can't be _that_ important_. He thought, critically eying the rather beat-up violin. _Maybe it's not the one he performs with...but it should still get him pretty mad. _He thought as he knocked over the bridge, and loosened the pegs. This went on for some time--fiddling around with the violin, causing all sorts of little problems to it.

"What's this?" He asked no one in particular as he held the violin upside down. "Seems to be a button of sorts." He answered his own question and pulled out the end button without any hint of hesitation or remorse. If he had been doing this to someone else, he would have felt horrible. In fact, he probably wouldn't have been able to go through with it. But something in the way Kaho-chan regarded Tsukimori-kun bothered him, and he wanted to get this little piece of revenge.

--

_I didn't want this to happen!_ He mentally slapped himself as he realized he had gotten too carried away and the violin had begun to fall apart after he had pulled out the end button. _This is horrible!_

He quickly set it back inside its case, closed it up, and exited the room, all the while failing to notice the violin case was red. Not blue like Tsukimori's.

"Hihara-senpai. Did you need something from the practice rooms?" He heard Tsukimori-kun inquire from behind after he had closed the door and was beginning walk away from room 71.

"Ano… Kanayan requested that… That I check up on other participants occasionally!" He answered, trying not to seem too flustered, and quickly backed down the hall. _Where did he come from?!_

"Really…" Len sighed, looking skeptical as he glanced down at his watch. There was a slight pause in the conversation, if you could call it that, while Hihara fidgeted in an attempt to avoid Len's accusing glares. "Hihara-senpai, It's ten to one." He stated hinting that lunch would be over soon, thus ending the moment of silence.

"Ah! Right. Well, I'll see you later then, Tsukimori-kun!" He yelled back as he finally turned the corner and disappeared out of sight, continually failing to notice that Tsukimori was holding his violin case in his other hand. _I'd better get out of here before he finds out what I did to his violin!_

--

_That was a close one…!_ Hihara sighed in relief as he entered his classroom with three minutes to spare. _If he'd caught me messing with his violin...oh man, I would have been dead!_

"Hihara, Where were you at lunch?" Azuma inquired with a slight smile as he ignored the fan-girls' giggles and squeals.

Kazuki immediately broke out into a sweat. _What if he knows I did something bad? What if he tells Kahoko? _He quickly shook his head. _I can't crack now...I'll have to keep this a secret from him as well._ Then, composing himself, he replied, "Ah, just taking care of some last minute work!" With a reassuring smile, he took his seat near the window.

"Of course. That makes sense why you weren't at lunch." Azuma muttered under his breath. "Anything to do with Hino-san?" He asked, this time loud enough for Kazuki to hear.

Kazuki's artificial grin faded quickly, and he put his hands up. "N-No! Why would you ask that Yunoki?" He answered, getting quite flustered as he turned to face his friend.

"No, no, silly me… Some last minute practice I suppose, then?" Yunoki quickly followed up as he flipped his hair, to which the fan girls behind him fainted.

"Yeah! Doesn't hurt to practice…" He responded turning to face the black board as the bell rang to signal the beginning of classes. _Good thing Yunoki isn't t__o__o nosy._ He mentally thanked his friend as the teacher walked in the classroom, completely underestimating the cleverness of Azuma.

**[Len's POV]**

"Ohayo, Tsukimori-san!" He heard unkown classmates greet him as he walked into the classroom and sit in his seat towards the front of the class. Since his realization earlier that morning, he had been in a horrible mood. Dwelling on things like, "Does she even like me back…?" or, "Maybe this is a bad idea…I am leaving tomorrow..." Eventually, He just decided he was leaving tomorrow so if she rejected him it wouldn't matter or, if she accepted him, knowing her, she would find a way to make this long distance relationship thing work.

--

"Of all people, it had to be HER!" He shouted kicking his desk in a very un-Len like way, causing every head in the class to turn towards him.

Blood rushed to his face._ Great...another public breakdown. What's happening to me today?_ "Excuse me, is there a problem?" He demanded, giving everybody in the room his famous death glare, causing them to flinch as he recovered his cold composure.

"N-no!" A few of the braver students stammered, while others went back to whatever they were doing before the outburst, trying to ignore what had just occurred.

"…" He remained silent but kept on glaring.

**_Well, that was nice. Wasn't it Tsukimori?_ **

_…Shut up… I'm having a terrible day. Go away._

**_How can it be bad when__ you finally realized you love someone? That's monumental for you, Tsukimori._**

...

**_You're no fun to tease…_ **

_Good. You've had your fun, now stop._

_***sigh***_

--

Three long hours later, it was finally lunch time. The highlight of everybody's school day.

_I suppose that since I reserved the practice room for all day, I'll practice a bit._ He sighed as he walked down the hall carrying his violin.

"You! Tsukimori! Stop!!" He heard three different voices from behind yell, but he merely turned his head, not even giving them a second thought, and continued walking.

"We're talking to you! So stop and listen!" Whoever they were, they seemed particularly interested in irritating him today, but he, on the other hand, was particularly uninterested in hearing their voices. He continued to ignore them and walk to his destination. "Show us some respect, Tsukimori! Just because your parents are world famous doesn't mean you can treat everyone like they're worthless!"

_Don't they have anything better to do?_ He sighed, as he turned around to face his upperclassmen.

"What do you want?" He demanded angrily as a frown formed on his face. The more time he spent here, the less time he had to practice. It was because of this that he was becoming extremely impatient.

"You think you're so great, don't you?" The student on the right said as the three spread out so Len couldn't go anywhere.

"Entering the Concurs and winning like that!" The one on the left followed, while the one in the center remained silent.

"I bet it's because you're Mom's Misa Hamai, isn't it? That's the only reason you won!" Laughed the one in the center, finally joining in.

_Will they ever shut up?_ He rolled his eyes and his frown deepened.

"If we had been in the Concurs, you wouldn't have stood a chance!" The center one said, apparently the group leader. "After all, we are your _senpais._ Haven't you learned to treat your _senpais_ with respect?" He jeered, emphasizing the word 'senpais'.

"Stop flattering yourself." Len responded, apparently not phased by the insults the three were throwing at him. "It is my honest belief that to earn my respect, you must first show me that you _are_ indeed better than I am. From what I can tell, your ability level is far below mine, therefore I have no obligation to treat you with the respect you ask for, regardless of whether or not you are my senpai."

"W-what?!" The guy on the right exclaimed, clearly insulted. Len dodged a punch thrown in his direction.

"If you'll excuse me." He said, his voice unwavering as he pushed past the three, leaving them all dumbstruck.

_Morons.__ They'll never get better if this is what they do in their spare time. _He muttered as he left the three surprised upperclassman behind him and he turned the corner.

--

"Hihara-senpai. Did you need anything from the practice rooms?" He inquired after rounding the corner only to see Hihara exiting the practice room 71 looking like he had seen a ghost. _More specifically, the one Hino and I reserved for afternoon lessons?_ He thought, becoming suspicious of the older student who now looked clearly stunned by Tsukimori's presence behind him.

"Ano… Kanayan asked me to check up on the other former participants from time to time!" Kazuki exclaimed, awkwardly stumbling down the hall.

_Kanazawa-sensei did? I don't see why he would do that. The Concurs have ended after all. "Really…" He said, looking skeptical. "Hihara-senpai, it's ten to one." He stated, after a moment of awkward silence. His intention was to make Hihara leave immediately, but it seemed his senpai thought he was telling him that lunch would be over soon. Why on earth would I care about how much time Hihara-senpai has to eat?_

"Ah! Right. Well, I'll see you later then, Tsukimori-kun!" He heard Hihara yell back, and watched the green-haired boy trip as he ran down the hall.

"…" Len remained silent as he watched his senpai turn the corner.

_What was he doing in here?_ He thought as he looked into the now empty room. _Nothing's out of place..._ He noted, but took mind of the fact that Hino-san had left her violin case in the room earlier that morning.

--

"…Damn…" He muttered under his breath as he heard the warning bell ring, signaling everybody had 5 minutes to get to class. _There goes my practice time…_ He mentally sighed as he quickly walked to class, which happened to be at the other side of the building and up two long flights of stairs.

--

**A/N:** I apologize for the long wait! =.=

Thankfully, the next chapter just has to be beta-ed and it's up... ^^

Next Chapter = Final Chapter. My first FanFic will soon be coming to a close...  
If you take a look and compare the first chapter of this story with my more recent chapters, I think my writing really improved. What do you think...?

BIG Thanks to all of my reviewers and lovely friend, and beta, Eileen-chan(AmericanBornChinese)~! ^^

'Till next time,

~AnimeViolinist~


	5. Take Off

**Disclaimer**: If I owned La Corda d'Oro, Len would have no competition. So, no, I do NOT own it.

Afternoon classes passed by quickly enough for Kahoko as she had managed to apologize to Hihara, and now felt loads better.

_Why do you have to go… Tsukimori-kun? Can't you stay? Even just a little longer? Then, perhaps I could tell you how I feel._ She inwardly sighed, earning a worried glance from Nao.

"…-san."

"…no-san…"

"Hino-san!"

Kaho awoke with a start to the sound of her senseis voice. Almost as soon as she awoke, the last bell of the day rang. Letting everybody know class had ended for the day.

"Hino-san, can I see you for a moment, please?" Her teacher called to her as she began to pack her books up. Nao gave her an understanding look and walked out of the class room.

"H-hai!" Kaho quickly responded, rushing over to the teachers desk.

Len absentmindedly stared out the window. And this window, just so happened to have a direct view of the Gen-Ed department. As he looked at the building, an image of Kahoko flashed into his head. He smiled a little at the thought of the girl.

He heard none of his lesson that period, as his mind was elsewhere. The only sound he heard at all, was the school bell, a sound that even the deaf could hear. He swiftly packed his book-bag and walked out of class, headed in the direction of practice room 71.

Upon entering the room he placed his violin case next to Kahokos, sat on the piano bench and waited for the not-so-punctual auburn haired girl.

"I swear, If that Hino doesn't show up today…" He muttered to himself as he waited for the girl.

_Wait… What if she forgot? Or, perhaps she doesn't want to see me anymore… _He silently fretted while running a nervous hand through his cerulean blue hair.

He glanced at his watch for, what seemed like the 75th time in 10 minutes.

"She's thirty minutes late…" He sighed, getting up from the bench and leaning against the wall, getting impatient. Suddenly he saw the door burst open and a very frenzied red-headed girl burst through.

"G-Gomen… T-tsukimori-kun!" She managed to get out as she collapsed on the floor, trying to catch her breath, as she had ran all the way from her class to here.

"Hino-san… You're thirty minutes late…" He accused her, helping her get up off the floor and sit on the piano bench, where he had been fifteen minutes ago.

"I know… I fell asleep in class and Sensei had me clean the desks after school." She explained, looking at Len guiltily. Len nodded as he grabbed the handle of her maroon colored violin case and carried her violin over to her.

-[Lens POV]-

As soon as I gave her her case, I walked back over to his violin case and unpacked it. I positioned my violin at his shoulder waiting for Hino to tell him she was ready, so that they could begin. But all he heard was silence.

"Hino-" I began to ask her what was wrong, but stopped when I saw the look on her face. It was a look of pure horror. She slowly looked up at me, her amber eyes beginning to water.

"T-tsukimori-kun… My… V-violin…" She sniffed as tears began to cascade down her face. I walked behind her and looked over her shoulder. The violin was in ruins.

"Hino, perhaps we should take a break. How about a walk?" I offered, holding out my hand seeing as nothing was going to happen today, even though this was are last practice session.

"Yeah… That sounds good." She gave me a feint smile and took my cold hand. I helped her off the bench and began to pack up my violin. She slowly packed hers up too, while I proposed that we left them here for awhile. She nodded and we walked out of the room.

We walked down the hall while I heard her occasional sniffs as she tried not to cry too much. I wanted to help her, but I didn't know how. It wasn't until we were almost to the schools gate that I noticed her shivering.

"Hino-san, here, take this. You look cold." She blushed and gratefully wrapped the jacket around her shoulders.

"Where should we go Tsukimori-kun?" She asked. A perfectly reasonable question, really. I looked around and nodded in the direction of the park that was located near the school. She seemed to understand and started to walk that way, with me trailing a pace or two behind her, watching her hair sway with the wind. She really was amazing.

When we reached the park, she headed towards a bench and delicately sat down. I followed suit and we were now both gazing at the setting sun. I looked over at her while she was still captivated. She took my breath away. The way her features were out-lined in the sun, and her hair blowing in the gentle breeze across her face. She must have heard my sudden intake of breath, for she glanced over at me with a questioning gaze. I couldn't help it. My hand seemed to move of it's own accord, and before I knew it, I was brushing a few stray auburn-colored strands of hair back where they belonged. As soon as I brushed my fingers across her face, a light blush tinged her cheeks. My hand lingered on her cheek, not wanting the moment to end. And that's when I said it.

"I love you, Kahoko." I breathed the powerful sentence out. I waited for her response as I gazed into her amber eyes. A slight smile danced upon her pink lips, while her eyes began to water again.

"I… I love you too Len." She stammered, blushing as a single tear slid down her face. Impulsively, I wiped the tear away with my thumb. Her blush deepened, and more tears began to fall.

She leaned her head into my chest, causing me to stiffen for a moment, not used to this close contact. She clutched the front of my uniform and sobbed into it. I looked down at her mop of auburn hair as her body shook with tears. I wrapped one arm around her, and used the other hand to lift her head with my forefinger and thumb..

"What's wrong Kahoko?" I was surprised by her reaction. If she loved me back, wasn't she supposed to be happy?

"It's j-just… You're l-leaving tomorrow…! I'll miss you!" She cried, looking into my eyes, as if trying to see what was going on inside my head. Out of nowhere, I remembered something very important.

"Happy birthday Kahoko." I grazed my lips across her cheek, coming to her soft lips, and claiming them as mine.

"Len…." I heard her mumble as I broke the kiss, to tell her something else.

"Kahoko, my plane's leaving at nine in the morning tomorrow. Will you come see me off?" I asked her, holding her hand and leaning against the bench with my arm still draped around her shoulder.

"Of course...!" She smiled a genuine smile at me, though, a stray tear rolled down her. I smiled down at her and helped her off the bench.

It was eight in the morning of the day I left for Europe. I was packing my bags with the necessities I would need. Including a picture of Kahoko. I smiled as I looked at the picture. It was taken after the concurs, she was dressed in her black Gen-Ed uniform and flashing a victory sign at the camera. I carefully packed it in-between a layer of clothes so it wouldn't break during the transition.

-Kazuki's POV-

I looked at the clock, the time was 8:56. There were four minutes until the blue-haired prodigy left for Europe to continue his studies. I glanced around anxiously, looking for my auburn-haired crush in the bustlying crowd.

The flight attendant announced Tsukimori-kuns flight over the intercom and I still hadn't sighted the girl. Tsukimori-kun began to say good-byes, hugging his parents, and politely shaking hands with the others who had appeared to send him off. The rest of the concurs participants, excluding Kaho-chan.

As Tsukimori bent over to pick up his luggage, we heard muffled "Sumimasen!", and "Gomen." and suddenly the red-haired wonder burst through the crowd, wrapping her arms around the prodigy's waist. What had I missed last night?

We watched the sweet spectacle un-fold before us, Tsukimori-kun and Kaho-chan exchanging sweet words.

As we watched I thought, _I had always been fighting a losing battle, wasn't I?_

Walking away from the crowd, I left with a sad smile on my face.

-Len-

I was in the lobby of the airport. The time was 8:56 according to the clock near the check-in desk. Mother and Father were there seeing me off. Along with Tsuchiara, Yunoki-senpai, Shimizu-san, and Fuyuumi-san. It looked like Hihara-senpai had left already. I was supposed to board in under four minutes. Now the only thing I could do was wait patiently for Kahoko.

"Now boarding, flight Two hundred and seventeen." We heard the speaker blare. My flight was boarding and yet, there was still no sign of the girl.

I hugged my Mother and Father, shook hands with everybody else, bent over to pick up my bags, and suddenly I was embraced, with small arms encircling his waist and a small head burrowing into his coat.

"Len!" A muffled yell came from behind him.

"Kahoko?" I asked, turning around to see her. I was greeted with the sight of Kahoko trying desperately to hold back tears. As soon as I turned around, she hugged me tightly, clinging onto my shirt and sobbing. It reminded me of last night. But this time, I was leaving.

I took out my hankerchief, and wiped away her tears. I leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Smile… Smile for me. Wait for me, and smile."

She looked up at me and smiled. "I will."

I smiled a one of my rare smile and kissed her.

A/N: So... I wrote this in... October 2009? Around then...

It never got beta-ed... And I havn't fixed it up much. I felt really guilty about not updating any of my stories, so here we are. xP

This is the final chapter of Smile for Me, I hope you liked it~!

Review, you know you want to! =)

See you next time,

~AnimeViolinist~


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